Dream Girl
by LovelyLori
Summary: In his dreams, she smells of lavender and vanilla. She visits him frequently with a gentle smile and extended arms. All he wants to do it to be able to keep her for longer than a good night's sleep. Modern Au.
1. I

**AN:** I got this "Soulmate au" prompt from Tumblr. I look a few liberties. Happy Valentine's Day. (:

* * *

Everything around him is monochromatic. The dull atmosphere makes her feel just a bit more enigmatic.

He knows nothing of where she came from. He has not a clue about her name. He is ready to tell her to leave, but when the sensation of warm hands caress his whiskered cheeks, Naruto submerges himself into her without a second thought.

He's so close to her that the scent of her is almost overpowering. Her hair smells of lavender; her skin faintly of vanilla.

Some nights, she looms over him and the dark, silky strands of hair rain down on him and tickle his face as her opalescent eyes bore into him. She is the moon – gently illuminating the ominous crevices of his mind. They don't speak, and the silence between them is oddly comfortable. It feels as if they have been in this position for eternity. But that's okay.

Because for once in his life, he doesn't feel so lonely.

On other nights, she lies next to him. She is wrapped in his arms securely.

Briefly, Naruto thinks it's where she has always belonged.

On this particular night, he is feeling brave. His fingers push apart her bangs to place a kiss so light, he wonders if she even felt it. The sound of her giggling echoes through their space. It's the most angelic thing he's heard. It's soft, and there's and indescribable warmth to it.

He's sure his heart flutters at the sound of it.

Slowly, she raises her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes look to be smiling at him momentarily before she closes them. She inches towards him ever so slowly before waiting for him to close the gap between them. Naruto is having a bit of a hard time controlling his breathing.

She is patient.

His right hand moves to caress the side of her face as the space between them is no more. It's electrifying. He's never felt lips so soft. She's so gentle and yet, she's passionate – wildly so. His hands move from her cheek to comb through silky tresses. Hers stay planted at his chest, her finger softly traces shapeless patterns on the cotton fabric of his shirt.

They break apart, and Naruto watches her smile at him. It's a small one, but it's powerful enough to make his heart stir. He can't help but give her the biggest grin he can. This all feels so natural to him; the laughter, the gentle kisses they place on each other each night. This is everything he's dreamed of.

But it always hurts when the sun rises.

She begins to fade away slowly. Her hand in his hardly feels like it's even there now. Naruto tries to hold her close. His eyes squeeze shut. He isn't ready for her to leave yet. When he opens his eyes, she is gone, and he's back in his small, shabby bedroom.

The sun peeks through the cracks of his blinds. It hits his eyes, and he groans before rolling on his side to shield his eyes from the light. He lies there for a minute before sitting up in bed to stare at the plain white wall. Today is Wednesday, isn't it? He checks the alarm clock on his night table. It reads 6:03 a.m.

Naruto thinks he should be getting ready for work.

It takes him a while to get up. When he does, it is a slow and groggy walk to the bathroom. Before opening the door, he stops to look at his living room. There are beer cans from two weeks ago on the table, and the newspaper from two day ago appears to be stuck to the table too.

Laundry is on the floor. He can't tell if it was the laundry he was supposed to hang up outside or fold and put away. It really is such a mess, just like everything else in his tiny apartment. He knows he should clean it, but he just can't bring himself to do it.

Not able to look at it anymore, Naruto enters the bathroom and shuts the door. He sheds his clothes on the floor and kick them off to the side. They need to be washed anyway. They'll go with the ones out in the living room.

His hands rest on the shower handle for a little while. He turns it to the right. It takes a moment for the water to start flowing, and when it does, he lets out a scream because the water is too cold. Once it warms up, he grabs his shampoo and squeezes it into his hand. It smells like citrus.

Naruto works it into his hair as the suds begin to drip down his back.

What did hers smell like again? Cherry Blossoms? Or maybe it was sugar?

He frowns. She was such an amazing person and yet, he doesn't remember anything about her. He shuts his eyes in an attempt to see her face, but he's drawing a blank. What color was her hair? Orange maybe? Is she blonde like him?

What about her eyes? Could they have been green?

He tries to remember the sound of her voice. It wasn't sultry, was it? He doesn't even remember if she has even spoken to him. It's all so frustrating. Every single night, he dreams of her. He knows that she is wonderful because he remembers the dreams always make him happy.

Except for the end where she disappears, and he knows next to nothing about her.

His arms rest at his sides as the shower water continues to rinse out the shampoo from his hair. His eyes are still closed. Naruto is trying his hardest to remember her, he really is. She's a source of happiness for him. She's someone that he's trying so desperately to keep from slipping away.

Naruto's eyes open, and he realizes that he's been in the shower for far too long without even washing his body. He doesn't rush himself. Instead, he picks up his bar of soap and runs it along his body as he tries to piece together who the girl in his dreams is.

* * *

The ramen shop is always busy and calls for Naruto's undivided attention. If he leaves the noodles cooking for a minute longer than they should, they start to get all soggy. If the heat on the grill was too hot, the pork would lose its tenderness.

Each vegetable needs to be cut to perfection and each bowl needs to be seasoned to perfection. Although it requires so much of his time attention, Naruto is fond of working here. The pay is decent, and customer interaction is usually fun. As he works diligently, two more customers enter the shop.

"Welcome to Ichiraku –!" He pauses to watch his friends sit down at the counter between them. His brow begins to furrow, and he squints his eyes and pouts. "Hey! Why are you guys always around here during my shifts?"

Teuchi passes by briefly, carrying some crates into another room. "Now, now," he laughs. "Don't be so rude to our customers." Naruto kneads the back of his neck sheepishly. He can hear Sasuke scoff.

"You act like we plan to come here to see you all the time," Sakura frowns. "It's just a coincidence."

Naruto grins. "So not all the time, but only once in a while?"

Sakura's look of annoyance is replaced with a small smile. "Only once in a while," she repeats.

"Today was a coincidence though," Sasuke insists. "We just happened to be going the same way. You just happened to be working right now."

"Oh," Naruto starts, "so it's not a date then?"

The pop of color on Sakura's cheek doesn't go unnoticed by Naruto. Sasuke looks as unreadable as ever though. "No, it's not a date."

"You don't have to be so blunt about it Sasuke-kun," Sakura mumbles. Her posture slumps.

Even if it wasn't a date, it's always hard to find one without the other. As of late, Naruto has been feeling like a third wheel. He's sure that his friends don't mean to purposely make him feel like this, but he can't quite shake the feeling that they check up on him because they feel obligated to.

The negative thought catches him by surprise. He laughs it off. "It's fine Sakura-chan! I'm sure Sasuke didn't mean to hurt your feelings, no need to sulk about it."

"I'm not sulking!" She cries. She was always so defensive.

"Right, right. Anyway, what kind of ramen do you guys want from your master chef?" Naruto jabs his thumb into his chest.

Sasuke raises a brow. "I don't think 'master chef' is the best phrase to describe your cooking."

Naruto has the urge to flip him the bird, but that wouldn't have looked good in front of the rest of the guests. "You're gonna eat your words when I whip up the best bowl in the world! So what'll it be?"

"A bowl of shio ramen with spring onions and pork," Sasuke orders.

Sakura hums to herself momentarily. "I guess I'll have shōyu ramen. But hold the spice please!"

"We need to have a serious talk about your ramen choices," Naruto mutters. "It's disappointing that none of you craved miso ramen. It's obviously the best choice." He turns his back to work on their orders, and he can hear Sasuke mutter, "This coming from the guy who only eats instant ramen at home." He can hear Sakura's attempt and failure to stifle a laugh.

He pretends not to hear it.

It's another one of Sasuke's light jabs, Naruto knows this, but those dark places in his mind are ticking off tons of excuses as to why he doesn't cook at home. Who wants to come home from cooking all day just to cook again?

Naruto doesn't have enough money for the ingredients to make Ichiraku style ramen at home.

Cooking here is much more fun than cooking at home. It's a lot less lonely in the shop, and he is able to see the smiling faces of those who enjoy his cooking. Why make a good meal if there's no one to share it with?

He winces. He's never such a downer at work, what was wrong with him? Naruto decides to keep conversation going, despite the fact that there's a steady uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. It lessens when Ayame enters the shop to help him out with other customers.

By the time Sasuke tries some of his ramen, Naruto temporarily forgets about the uneasy feeling, because his skills have wiped Sasuke's smug smirk off his face. "Heh, that good huh?" Naruto's foxlike grin is enough to make his best friend scoff.

"It's alright," he mumbles. His mannerisms say otherwise, as the noodles are quickly disappearing from the bowl.

"Woah, you've really outdone yourself, Naruto," Sakura is in awe. "This is surprisingly really good."

Naruto pouts. "Whaddaya mean 'surprisingly'? I've been working here for a year now, my food should be pretty good."

"It's almost as good as my dad's," Ayame smiles.

He begins to scratch the side of his cheek sheepishly. "Aww, I wouldn't say that, Ayame…"

"Neither would I," Sasuke remarks.

"I've just about had it with you, you asshole!"

Ayame gives a good natured laugh as Sakura begins to rub the sides of her temples. The one sided bickering between Naruto and Sasuke are a natural occurrence. The rest of the customers don't mind it at all. It's amusing to them.

The sun begins to set. It hides behind a few apartment buildings in the distance. Most of their customers are gone for the day, and this includes Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto remembers the two of them left with arms linked together.

They're so weird in their "not together" situation.

He shrugs it off and wishes Teuchi and Ayame a good night before leaving the shop to get his bike. The bike ride home is quiet and not long at all. There aren't many cars on the street, and there are hardly people on the sidewalk.

Everyone is ready to turn in, he supposes.

Naruto wants to get into bed as soon as possible. It means that he gets to see _her_ again.

* * *

The side of his face rests on her chest as she sits comfortably in his lap, bare legs wrapped around his waist. She breathes steadily as her fingers comb through his blond hair. She is comforting and gentle. She is what he needs. His arms are wrapped around her torso, fists grabbing hold of the silk fabric of her blouse.

Tonight, he holds onto her tightly from the moment he sees her. Maybe she won't disappear if he does it this way.

"I know he doesn't mean anything by it, but it still hurts, y'know?" Naruto tells her. "If I wasn't always by myself, I'd make quality meals for sure but… what's the point if I'm just gonna be staring at a wall with no human interaction whatsoever?"

She's silent for a moment. He feels as if he's being just a bit too whiny. "I did not know you felt so alone. I thought I was doing my best. I'm sorry."

This bothers him. Does she not know that she's just a dream? A small sigh escapes him. "No, I always look forward to seeing you. You make me happy. We just… never have dinner together."

"Oh," She sounds genuinely surprised. "Then, let's have dinner together. We can cook together."

She's not real. None of this is real, and yet, Naruto finds himself going along with this charade, as if they'll actually have dinner together. "What would… what would you like to cook?"

She can hear the hesitation in his voice and removes her hands from his head to place a small kiss there. "I want to make red bean soup. It's my favorite."

"I like red bean soup too," Naruto says. He can feel her giggling and he can't fight the smile that appears on his face. Is this really a dream? She feels so real.

"I'm really glad. It's like we're having a dinner date," she smiles. Soon, Naruto can feel her grow warmer. She gasps. "Oh! I hadn't meant to call it a date. It can be a date if you want it to be, I don't mind! But if you don't want it to be, then that's okay too! I just thought –"

She is cut off by the sound of Naruto's laughter. His head isn't resting on her chest anymore. He looks her straight in the eye. "I'd like to go on a date with you. But I've never been on one so I… wouldn't know what to do."

"It's okay. I don't care about what we do. All I want is to be by your side, Naruto-kun."

The way she says his name makes his face warm, and the thought of her always at his side makes his heart race. His hands are holding the sides of her face now as he kisses her. She makes him feel complete as she tells him that he'll never be lonely again.

She is a liar.

He wakes up without her yet again.

He is alone again.

* * *

Sunday mornings are usually spent grocery shopping.

Naruto doesn't buy much. There is instant ramen in most of the bags. The rest of the bags he is carrying holds ingredients for red bean soup. He doesn't know why he purchased them, but ever since a few weeks ago, he's been craving it.

The walk from the grocery store to his apartment isn't long. On the way back, he runs into a friend. "Oh, it's Shino!" Naruto cries. "It's been a while!"

His eyebrows raise at the sound of Naruto's voice. He stops in his tracks to let Naruto catch up. "It has been a while. Nice to see you again."

"Same here!" Naruto laughs. "Where are you off to this morning? Off to hang out with Kiba? Tell that jack ass he's got some nerve playing poker with me last weekend and not paying up properly!"

"I'm not going to be seeing Kiba today, but I'll be sure to relay your message," Shino tells him. "Today, I'll be with another friend. Why do you ask? Because she has just moved into a new apartment and I will be –"

He doesn't get a chance to finish. " _Ohhhh_ , Shino! You never told me you were on your way to help a lady friend," He practically cackles. "Trying to get her to go on a date with you?"

His wiggling eyebrows do not amuse Shino. "No, I'm only going to help her out. I've told you this not too long ago, but it seems that you haven't been paying attention to what I have to say." Naruto doesn't seem to be paying attention this time either.

"What kind of girl is she anyway? Is she super pretty?"

Shino slides his shades up on his face. "If you are so interested in the kind of person she is, why don't you meet her yourself?"

Naruto shakes his head. "No thanks. I don't want to cut into your time with her," he says with a wink. In reality, he doesn't want to feel like another third wheel again. "Besides, I've gotta take these groceries home."

"But I've already told you that I wasn't trying to –"

"See ya later, Shino! Good luck with her!" He cries as he jogs ahead. Now that he thinks about it, he also doesn't want to meet anyone but his dream girl. She doesn't exist, he knows this, but the effect she leaves on him after he wakes up is strong.

There's an ache in his heart when he wakes up and finds that she isn't next to him. He's frustrated with himself when he can't remember the sound of her voice or how she looks. She has a name, but he can't even hear her say it in his dream. Why does he stress himself out over a woman who's just some sort of figment of his imagination?

He's desperate, he concludes.

His mother is gone. His father is gone.

His friends don't understand how much it hurts that there's no one out there who will listen to him and understand his pain.

But _she's_ there. She's always there, and she always understands.

And that's why Naruto just can't let her go.

* * *

Naruto's fingers lightly traveled over the side of her stomach. She would laugh and tell him to stop because she was ticklish, but he couldn't help it. She's so incredibly soft. His hands run from the side of her, past pink and white polka dotted panties to her thigh.

It's smooth and silky, but he can feel some sort of blemish. It's a scar.

It isn't a large one, but he can't help but run his fingers over it again and again.

She shifts uncomfortably. "Is there something wrong?"

He shakes his head. "No. I'm just wondering about this scar. How'd you hurt yourself?"

"I got this a long time ago. When I was a little girl, I was playing around by the koi pond nearby my home. I used to be so clumsy," she laughs. Naruto gives a small chuckle of his own before placing the tiniest kiss on her lips. "I wanted to feed the fish, and I wanted to see them eat the food."

"You were a really nice kid, it sounds like."

His dream girl smiles. "Thank you. I um, I lost my footing and fell in. On my way down, one of the jagged rocks cut me. One of my caretakers had to get me out and bandage me up. Then, I was scolded terribly by my father."

"Ouch," Naruto almost winces. "Sounds pretty bad." In an instant, he slips away from her embrace. She is about to question him but she lets out a small gasp instead. His lips press against the scar ever so faintly, and he can feel her thigh twitch.

"Ah, w-wait a moment!" She cries out. "That tickles too!"

The kisses don't stop, and the air is filled with her laughter. Her cheeks are flushed and the smile on her face is so pretty. The laughter stops when his lips stop at her inner thighs. The blush on her face is deeper than before, and he watches as she bites her lip.

A minute passes by, and Naruto is completely still. He waits for her consent.

"Yes," she answers finally in a voice so small, he almost has trouble hearing her. When he pushes the panties to the side, he realizes that she has been waiting for him longer than she admits. It's a pleasant surprise, he thinks as he tastes her. She quivers underneath him, and the laughter that once filled the air is replaced with moans of pleasure.

He spreads her legs apart wider and holds them down so that she doesn't move around as much. Just hearing her moan his name does something to him, as do her fingers when they comb through his hair. His boxers begin to feel a bit tight. Funny, his chest is starting to feel the same way, as if it's about to burst.

Is this what being with someone truly feels like? Naruto feels lost.

He's never been with anyone before, so there's no way to compare this feeling. By the end of the night, he stares up at the stars above him with his dream girl by his side. Her arms are wrapped around him securely while her face is buried in the crook of his neck.

"I've never felt that way before," she whispers.

"Yeah?" His voice is just as quiet.

She nods. "Yes. It felt amazing." He can feel her lips move along his neck, and a small chill runs down his spine. "I love you."

He breathes in and out slowly in an attempt to get his heart to slow down. It doesn't feel like it's working. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," he can feel her smile against his skin. "I've always have."

Naruto's fists begin to ball up. "If you do, then why do you always leave me by myself all the time?" She says nothing at first. Then she sits up to loom over him, just like when he had first gotten these dreams of her months ago.

She gives him a look of confusion. Does she really not know what happens when the sun comes up? "When I wake up, you're never there. I can't remember anything about you. Not your voice or your face… Nothing! Don't you know how frustrating that is!?"

"N-Naruto-kun, are you crying?" She reaches out to wipe the steady flow of tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please don't cry, I didn't mean to make you cry." Naruto doesn't move. He can't move. He only listens to her saying over and over again that she's so sorry that she's hurt him.

Naruto squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. When he opens them, they still fall, and his dream girl is nowhere to be found. He is in his shabby bedroom again, and what's more is that it's still night time.

He rolls over on his side. His shoulders begin to heave. None of this is fair to him. Nothing at all. Naruto wants so desperately to meet her. He's desperate to hold her and kiss her, to spend as much time with her as possible. He wants to believe her when she tells him that he'll never be lonely again, but how is that possible when she won't even stay with him for longer than six hours of sleep?

Naruto begins to sob. She's a terrible dream – a terrible, terrible dream. But she's a dream that he'd gladly have forever if he could never awaken again.

* * *

"I'm sorry you had to come into work on your off day. Ayame's cold hasn't gotten better, and I can't have her working in the kitchen like that."

Naruto shakes his head. He doesn't mind at all. Working at Ichiraku is fun, and he rather be here than in his apartment crying over a nonexistent woman. "It's not a problem, Teuchi. I'll gladly fill in for Ayame, no sweat!" He grins.

"Glad to hear it!"

Today's work day is a normal one, for a Saturday anyway. It's busy than weekdays, but Naruto is working twice as hard today. It doesn't go unnoticed by their usual patrons, who compliment him wholeheartedly. Naruto is a bit bashful, but gives them his biggest grin regardless.

A couple of friends pass through the shop briefly to say hello while a few others sit down for a bowl. Naruto is feeling proud that Chouji orders a bowl of miso ramen with a side of braised pork. At least one of his friends has good taste (even if Naruto had to recommend it to him).

When the customer traffic dies down, Naruto watches Kiba enter the shop and he immediately narrows his eyes. "I've been looking for you! Didn't Shino tell you that I wanted my money last month?" Kiba laughs and waves Naruto off.

"He did. Don't worry, I've got your money right here," He pats the side of his pocket. "So keep your panties on."

"And again, I am ignored." Shino mumbles.

Kiba groans. "Oh come on, don't be like that!" He cries, trying to get his friend to cheer up.

Wow, Naruto didn't even see him come in, let alone sit down right next to Kiba. Shino's talent of being invisible was something special. Good thing he didn't show up to help his friend move in. Naruto thought he'd be the third wheel, but in reality, they probably would have forgotten about him.

At this thought, Naruto perks up. "Oh yeah! So how'd everything go with your lady friend, Shino?" Again, Shino doesn't appreciate the eyebrow wiggling.

Kiba looks astonished. "Lady friend? Woah, Shino! Are you holding back on me? What lady?"

Shino's brow furrows while his lips purse momentarily. "He is speaking about Hinata," he answers.

" _Oh_ , so her name's Hinata. Sounds real pretty~!" Naruto teases.

Kiba gives a snort. "Oh please, Hinata's just a friend. Why didn't you tell him?"

"I tried to," Shino tells him. "He never listens."

So she's just a friend then? Well, this is the first time the two of them have even mentioned her. "Why's this the first time I'm hearing about this Hinata person?" He asks. Knowing Kiba's big mouth, he was sure he'd hear about her sooner. "You never bring her around to hang out with the rest of the group. You should, it'd probably be a lot of fun."

"I dunno. I've just never had a reason to bring her up during conversation," Kiba shrugs.

"Also, Hinata's been out of the country since after high school. We've only been keeping in contact with her through online messaging and letters," Shino explains. "Now that she's finished with school, she's come back here for work and such."

Naruto hums to himself momentarily. "She sounds fancy," he mumbles. And a little posh too, but that's neither here nor there.

"Anyway, enough about her," Kiba says. "You just gonna stand there and chat us up the whole time, or are you gonna take our orders?"

"Oh right, sorry 'bout that!" Naruto chuckles.

After Kiba and Shino leave, the rest of his sift is slow. Ramen is good for lunch and dinner, but no one comes here for a date night on a Saturday. Teuchi tells him to leave for the day. He can handle the rest of the dawdling customers and close shop by himself.

At first, Naruto isn't sure he wants to go home yet. He'd be forced to think about his dream girl again. After much prodding from his boss, Naruto listens to him, and leaves the shop. Maybe he should call up some of the guys for another game night to take his mind off of things.

It's on such short notice, but he really doesn't want to be alone at home with his thoughts. He's undoing the lock on his bike when the clicking of heels grab his attention. It one of the only noises around at the time, besides the low humming of cars, and the sound is coming directly across the street.

He looks over, and although there are a few people walking along that sidewalk, his eyes zone in on one person in particular. Her hair is as dark as it is long. It's a perfect contrast to her white eyes. He watches her for a while, and everything he's been feeling for months begin to crash down on him.

He remembers everything now.

That's her! That's the woman in his dreams! He remembers how soft her hair feels, and that she always smells of lavender and vanilla. Those are the exact color of the eyes that looked into his blue ones countless nights.

He's not dreaming, is he? He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opens them, she's ready to get inside of a car. He can't lose her now. This time, this is all real. If he lets her get away, he'll truly have nothing.

"Hey!" He shouts, and she, as well as a few others around him, stop to look at him. She's even prettier outside of his dream. "Hey, don't leave yet! I need to talk to you, you're the girl of my dreams!"

Her eyes widen as people around them whisper things about her situation. She's frightened, and isn't sure what to do. She looks down in at her driver who commands to get in, so she does, in fear of the stranger across the street from her.

The car speeds off, and Naruto grits his teeth before speeding off on his bike to catch her. She's not slipping away from him that easily. She _can't_ slip away from him that easily. He needs to talk to her. He needs to be certain that this isn't all just a dream, and that he won't wake up with tears in his eyes anymore.

Every dream had been so amazing, how wonderful would it be for them to become a reality? He wants this so badly.

His legs petal faster than they have in his entire life, and the wind feels like it's pushing him forward. He's breaking out into a cold sweat. He's swerving past so many pedestrians and cutting off so many cars just to keep her car in his line of sight. He's running red lights in the hope that maybe he'll catch up with her.

But he never catches up with her.

Another car doesn't stop in time when Naruto runs another red light. The car screeches, and the screams of horror are the only thing that flood his ears when he lands just feet away from his beat up bicycle. Everything has gone red, and he closes his eyes so that he can't see anything anymore.

Everything hurts.

But nothing hurts as much as his heart does.


	2. II

I just want to say, some of y'all are so funny. Why would I write the first part and not follow up? That's incredibly mean haha. But I'm very happy that this was well received. Thank you all.

Enjoy.

* * *

Hanabi speaks of things that are normal for girls her age. Sourly, she talks about how annoying homework is with a pout. She gossips about her classmate giving a love letter to one of the graduating seniors. The information leaves her lips with a ghastly smirk.

This is all riveting, but Hinata is hardly listening.

Her sister is sitting across from her, a cup of tea between both hands while steam clouds the air. Her lips are moving, but slowly her words drift farther and farther away until eventually, they don't exist anymore. There is only Hinata, and she's drowning in thoughts of a strange man with whiskers painted across his cheeks.

Hinata has always been a dreamer – a mind full of insightful, profound ideas while her heart embraces romanticism and fantasy. Always that little girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, and expressed great amounts of naïveté, but even she isn't _that_ bad.

For him to yell "you're the girl of my dreams," out in the open for everyone to hear; it was such an unusual thing to do. As far as Hinata is concerned, they have never met before, so what had possessed him to call out to her like that?

As interesting as it would be, life isn't some kind of fairytale.

And the way he called to her, with desperation, is rather daunting. Oh, how her cheeks flushed in embarrassment – especially with the way everyone whispered about the two of them. Frightening was he, there's no doubt in her mind.

But a part of her, the part who adores fantasy, can't help but wonder. What could've been if she had answered him?

There's the question of what they'd say to each other after his declaration of love.

At least, that's what she thinks it is. What else could it have been when he practically called her his dream girl? At this idea, Hinata wants to scoff at herself. Love doesn't work that way, she reminds herself.

Love takes time and effort. If she continues to think in childishly, it's _her_ who will be hurt in the long run. She's sure of it.

He's only flirting with her, she reasons. While she had to admit his attempt was something... unorthodox and strange, old school even, she's sure there's nothing more to it.

The reality makes her shift in discomfort while the fantasy makes her want to smile. And after a while of wandering aimlessly in a sea of her thoughts, Hinata's eyes refocus on Hanabi once more. Her eyes are narrow, and her lips have formed into another one of her usual pouts.

The steam from the cup is long gone now, and Hinata wonders how long she's zoned out for. Long enough to upset Hanabi, she concludes.

"I… I was listening," Hinata starts. "I was, honestly."

Hanabi brings the cup of tea to her lips for another sip. "Mm," Hanabi hums. She's finished sipping her tea for now, but the cup still touches her lips. "Listening to what? I hadn't said anything to you for at least a minute now, big sister."

Ouch. Shows how much attention she had been paying Hanabi before that. Absolutely zero. "Well, I was listening to your story earlier. The one about the girl who gave a love letter to her crush. Sasaki-san, yes?"

"Suzuki-san," her sister corrects before setting down her cup. Hinata gives an apologetic look and Hanabi can only sigh. "Are you okay? You're always such a good listener." Her eyebrow quirks up in question.

Hinata shifts uncomfortably as she thinks back to her silly little fantasy. "No, I'm okay. I think I'm just a little tired, that's all," she smiles. Hanabi doesn't look like she's buying it. "I'm fine, honestly," Hinata assures.

"If you say so," she replies. For a second, the television is in her peripheral view. The corners of Hanabi's lips twitch upwards. "Hey, how about we watch some television! I'm sure there's probably something good coming on tonight!"

Tonight? Hinata feels as though it's a bit too late for anything interesting to be on, but then again, the two of them had different meanings of the word "interesting." Hanabi flips through channels sporadically while Hinata rests her elbows on the table as her hands prop up her face.

There doesn't seem to be any comedy shows on either since Hanabi settles for a local news channel. "I give up," she mumbles. Hinata lets out a small giggle.

" _And now for tonight's tragic story, a Konoha resident has been struck by a car. Our correspondent Kikuchi Eri has more on this story. Kikuchi-san?_ "

Oh, the news is always so depressing, Hinata thinks. She moves to change the channel, but the woman on the television says something that catches her attention.

" _Yes, and what a terrible story it is. Twenty-one-year-old Uzumaki Naruto was stuck by a car while riding his bicycle tonight on the south side of the city. The incident –_ "

"Southside, huh? You were just there, weren't you? Hey," Hanabi points to a picture on the television screen, "isn't that the guy that Kō-san said was – wh-what are you doing?"

The television has been turned off, and Hanabi is in utter bewilderment as Hinata sets the remote back on the table before placing her hands in her lap. "Yes," she answers. "It was him." Hanabi has never heard her voice so stern before.

"Then why'd you turn off the television?" She asks. "At least turn it back on so we can see if he's alright!" Hinata says nothing, and Hanabi places her hands on her hips. "Don't act like that, big sister. Come on, what if he's –"

"I don't want to talk about this. Not right now."

"But there's a chance that he could be –!"

"Hanabi, please!"

The way she speaks is so foreign to Hanabi's ears. The look of desperation in Hinata's eyes is something she's never seen before. The room is silent, even though the tension between them is so thick. Slowly, Hanabi stands up from her seat. "I think it's time that I take my leave."

Hinata jolts out of her seat with a panicked expression. "W-wait a moment. I didn't mean to offend you, I just…"

Her sister placed her hand in front of her, signaling her to stop talking. "I know you didn't mean any harm. Like you said, you're just tired, aren't you?" Although she sounds sincere, Hinata knows she's hurt her sister's feelings. "It's getting late. I should call Kō-san and ask him to take me home.

Hinata sits back down. "Yes…"

"By the way," Hanabi says as she watches her older sister's hands tremble in her lap, "this isn't your fault."

Hinata wants to nod. She can't find it in herself to do so.

* * *

Despite the spring season, the air feels rather cold. Bone chilling even.

Her finger tips have gone numb and goosebumps prickle the bare skin on her arms. The only thing she can hear is the soft padding of her bare feet on the concrete sidewalk. Hinata doesn't know where she's going, but she knows she wants to escape the grey cityscape.

There's no one around for miles. The store owners are all gone, and the streets are not bustling with pedestrians and shoppers. The wind doesn't blow, but there's a sudden chill down her spine. She trembles and crosses her arms over her chest before continuing on that same path.

After a while, something creaks. Something off of her normal path. Hinata embraces this change of pace, and turns, following the sound. The creaking becomes louder. It's a little grating on the ears, but she's okay with this, because this means that someone is nearby.

In the distance, there's something in the middle of the street. It's the only thing she's seen this grey world that's actually in color.

It's orange.

Although this leaves a knot in her stomach, she continues towards it. She picks up speed, and the padding of her feet against the ground is louder. Once she's close enough, Hinata slows down and inspects the item.

It's a bicycle.

The entire bike is totaled, it seems. Hinata looks at the front wheel. It's disfigured and continues to slowly turn on its own, producing that grating squeak. She's here now, at the source of the sound, but there's no one around her.

She feels defeated.

She wants to cry, but the sound of a groan just ways away from her catches her attention. "Hello?" She calls out for the first time. The air is so cold that she can see her breath. "Hello, is anyone there?"

As the groaning gets louder, Hinata moves faster. Someone's in trouble, it sounds like. Someone needs help. Hinata wants to help as much as she can. Maybe the two of them can find a way out of this lifeless city together.

On her way there, she's stepped in something warm and wet. Hinata pays no mind to it at first, and continues to run as fast as she can. Somebody needs her, is what she tells herself over and over. Soon, everything beneath her feet feels wet, and she slips.

Her rear hurts, and when she begins to get up, she can see the entire city is splotched in red. She's stained red. Her lips tremble with fear, but she can't let her nerves get to her now. This person still needs her help. She can see him, right in front of her now. He lies in the middle of the street. He's very still, and the groaning has stopped.

Was she too late?

Finally by his side, Hinata falls on her knees to inspect him further. Blond hair is soaked in his own blood, covering his face as well. Once she realizes that she is too, she feels nauseous. He's wincing, but it's hard to tell when the wounds are still leaking blood all over his face.

His breathing is erratic, and she can hardly look at the awkward way his right arm is bent. She knows there's something sticking out of it, but it's sickening to look at. Frantically, she looks around her in search of some aid.

Surely there has to be someone around who can help, right? "S-someone…" she starts. Her voice is barely audible, and it's hoarse. "Somebody help him." No one will hear her like this, she scolds herself. She needs to be louder.

"Is anyone out there?" She cries. "Somebody help us, please! He needs medical attention!"

There is no answer. She tries to fight back her tears, but it's no use. The tears roll down her cheeks and into his blood-soaked hair. Hinata screams. There should be someone who can hear her – there _has_ to be. She continues to scream for help until her voice can barely manage a whisper. Her eyes are lightly shut.

It's no use. No one is here. No one is coming.

And when the realization hits her, Hinata opens her eyes in a flash, and quickly sits up in her bed. She's woken up in a cold sweat. Her eyes dart around the bedroom quickly. Though it's dark, she can tell she is at home. When she looks at her hands, they are trembling, but they do not have dried blood caked onto them.

Her heart is beating wildly. Her head is spinning.

He's not okay. No one was able to save him. She was not able to save him. She reminds herself of this every other minute. It's the only thing that she can even think about. It's the only thing that keeps her up the entire night.

When the sun rises, Hinata does not move from her spot in the bed. She lays in silence on her pillow. It is soaked heavily in last night's tears.

* * *

The dango shop looks exactly as it did in Hinata's senior year of high school. The sweets are still good quality too, she muses, as she bites into a piece of her dango. She hadn't expected Shino of all people to invite her out at a place like this. She wasn't aware that he even had a sweet tooth.

She doesn't question it though, and enjoys the natural silence between them. Though, things feel just a bit too quiet. Something, or rather _someone_ , is missing. "Kiba-kun is late," she says. Hinata watches as Shino digs his cellphone out of his pocket.

"That he is," he starts, eyes focused on his phone screen. "I texted him 15 minutes ago, and he told me he was in the area but that was it. Maybe he's gotten himself into trouble again."

Hinata hoped not.

"Who are you saying got them self into trouble? And what do you mean _again_?" Leave it to Kiba to shake up the quiet and demure atmosphere of a sweets shop. Hinata can only give a somewhat apologetic smile while Shino slides his shades up on his face.

"You always get into trouble," he begins. "Like with that old lady and her cat –"

"That lady's cat was asking for Akamaru to demolish it!" Kiba cries as he takes a seat next to Hinata. He picks up one of the sweet dumplings off of her plate and begins to eat it. She shoots him a look, but in reality, she doesn't mind so much. "Always hissing at him for no reason!"

Shino clears his throat. "There was that time at the bar with the man who was obviously too drunk to think straight."

Kiba huffs. "Yeah, well so was I. I don't even remember what we were fighting about anyways."

"There was also that time you almost fought a middle schooler –"

"You almost fought a child?" Hinata gasps. Her hands fly over her mouth in shock.

Kiba shoots Shino a glare before casting his gaze over to Hinata quickly. "You don't understand! Shino's purposely leaving out information to make me look bad! That kid kicks his stupid soccer ball at my bike twice! And I know it was on purpose too!"

"Over a motorcycle, Kiba-kun?"

"Hey, he chipped the paint! I have to pay to get it fixed, not him!" He counters. "And it's not just a motorcycle, it's a way of life." Kiba is such a snob in this particular "way of life," but Hinata can't help the little laugh that escapes her.

Shino reminds them that his points still stands, forcing Kiba to roll his eyes. "So, if you weren't getting into any trouble, what were you doing?"

Kiba scoffs. "Actually, I was at the hospital."

"Oh," Hinata squeaks. "Are you alright?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Kiba shrugs nonchalantly. "Had to go see how Naruto was holding up. He's pretty banged up, so I've kinda been making a habit to drop by every once in a while." Hinata can't help but shift slightly in discomfort.

Now that she can put the name to his face, she absolutely loathes the mentioning of him. The nightmares of him occur every single night, and each time, they become more gruesome. They're so realistic that it's terrifying.

And what's more is that his lifeless blue eyes haunt her in and outside of her dreams. It's sickening.

"That's rather kind of you," Shino says. "I haven't seen him in a while, so maybe I should visit him too."

Just then, an idea strikes Kiba. "How 'bout we all pay him a little visit. I'm sure he'd appreciate the company. That guy's bored out of his mind just lying there."

"Keeping still was never Naruto's style," Shino adds. "Are you joining us, Hinata?"

No, she couldn't possibly do such a thing. To meet him face to face in all those bandages would be horrible, she's sure of it. Somedays, she thinks that if she had only spared a minute or two to talk to him, maybe he wouldn't be in the condition that he's in now. Other days, she feels as though he resents her.

To be rejected by someone you call "the girl of your dreams" before getting struck by a car – some luck. And she's the bad omen.

"Yo, Hinata!" Kiba has to yell, and it makes Hinata almost jump out of her skin. "Are you coming or not? …Hey, what's up with you? You alright?"

Both Kiba and Shino are throwing her looks of concern, and just like that, she feels like a burden to them. "S-sorry!" She manages to stammer. "I'm okay, I'm just very tired. Um, I think… I think I'll pass on seeing your friend today. But um, maybe some other time, yes?"

The two of them share similar looks before shrugging it off and wish her a safe trip home. Kiba even pays for the dango for them, as a reparation of the food he ate without asking. She is thankful that they leave without trying to pry into it.

It's a little embarrassing to admit to them that she frequently has nightmares of a man she's only seen once in her entire life. She wonders if he's ever told them about her – about their first encounter with one another. If he had done so, surely her friends would have brought it up by now, right?

Or maybe he's too ashamed to tell them what truly happened. Hinata feels horrible about it all. Kiba says he just lies there. Shino says keeping still isn't his style at all. He has it worse, she thinks. What if he has all these nightmares too? He can't just get up and take a walk to calm his nerves.

He's just there.

He has to lie there motionless, staring off into the darkest corners of the room, just as he does in her dreams.

If that's how it truly is, then Hinata is positive that she doesn't want to see him. She refuses to live out those nightmares.

* * *

She can never ignore him.

He calls out to her every single night with such desperation that plagues her. She tells herself that she doesn't want to see him anymore, but her body disobeys her. She runs to him night after night, only to stand before his mangled body. It's sickening to see him like this, but she can't look away anymore. Her body is forcing itself to look at him. She takes a sharp inhale – it's all she can do as an attempt to calm herself down.

"Hinata," he rasps. "Hinata, help me. Please…"

She doesn't know how. She doesn't know what she should do.

Often times, she holds him in her arms. "I don't know what to do," she cries. "Tell me what to do. How do I help you? How?" She'll do anything, she tells him. Anything to stop his pain and suffering. Anything to make him happy. She just wants to stop the bleeding and the pain.

He never tells her what to do. He only murmurs, "Please…" over and over. It's frustrating to see him slowly slip into unconsciousness as she's begging him to stay. It's always the worst when his eyes have gone dull, and his lips aren't moving anymore.

His heartbeat is gone and his body is limp, but from a distance, Hinata can hear him whisper, "Save me. Please, save me," throughout the same grey cityscape smeared in his blood. The scent of iron is the only thing that fills her nostrils. Soon, she's feeling nauseous again. Hinata holds him tighter. Her eyes start to water. Her lips begin to tremble.

"How?" She whimpers. "I want to help you, but I don't know how to." All she can do is sit there as his body heat fades away. For a brief moment, Hinata wonders if she's always been so useless. She has her chance to save him every night, but when she reaches him, all she can do is sit and cry over him as he's begging her to save him.

When she finally awakens, Hinata has to take a warm shower to wash off his blood. It isn't actually there, but she can still feel it. She feels dirty. The nightmares are disgusting and excruciating. Every time she closes her eyes, she can see him so vividly. Blood and dirt are caked onto his face.

She scrubs her body harder. She needs to wash everything away. She's so dirty.

But no matter how hard she scrubs, all she ends up with is irritated, red skin and the feeling of hopelessness. Why does he continue to ask her for her assistance every night when he always dies in her arms? Doesn't he know how much of a failure she really is?

Hinata decides that she can't do this anymore. Just the thought of him leaves a terrible ache in her heart. Lately, it's been hard for her to fall asleep. She's got a case of insomnia. Hinata thinks it's a blessing in disguise. She never has to fall asleep.

She never has to see him again.

* * *

Afternoon tea with her father is something Hinata hasn't experienced in years.

There's a nervousness that swells in her stomach because of it. She wants to be respectful and graceful at the table, but lately she's been feeling so tired. She prays that she can keep herself together long enough for this to go smoothly, but things don't seem to be going her way in the 15 minutes that she's already been here.

Her father, with his tea glass between his hands, is scrutinizing her already under his usual steely gaze. He makes being around him so difficult because she can never catch a break. Always watching – always _waiting_ – for her to mess up so he can scold her.

Or so it feels anyway.

"Hinata," he begins, "you look a bit under the weather. Are you feeling well?" Although he asks, Hinata can hear the lack of concern in his voice. It's almost as if he asks because she's his daughter, and he is obligated to do so.

Things are so strained in Hinata's relationship with her father. She wants to sit down and spend a relaxing afternoon over green tea, but their interactions always feel so forced. It feels like she's missed out on a normal father-daughter relationship with him.

"I'm okay Father," she answers. "There is no need to worry about me."

"Are you sure?" He presses.

She's a bit taken back by this. Her father never asks any follow up questions about her wellbeing. It couldn't help to tell him somewhat of the truth, would it? "Well, as of late, I've been having trouble sleeping," Hinata tells him. "I've just been… very tired."

"I see," he says before taking a sip of tea. "Be sure to get yourself on a normal sleeping schedule. I do not want you sleeping on the job, do I make myself clear?"

Hinata winces. So much for trying to confide in him, she thinks. "Yes Father," is all she manages to say. Hiashi starts to talk about his company. There's the marketing department, human resources – he even talks about accounting.

Hinata wishes she could pay attention to him, but this is all so dense and monotonous. Her mind can barely keep up with what he's saying, and her eyes feel as though they're about to shut at any moment. She's doing her best to keep herself up, but her hands can't even find her tea glass.

All she can focus on is how tired she is.

When her eyes finally close, she can see _him_. His skin is decaying, and the smell of rotting flesh in the air is pungent. " _Hinata…_ " he calls out to her, and she screams. Her trembling hands knock over the tea glass, and the discomfort in the pit of her stomach is cumbersome.

Her father is startled, and moves to clean up the tea before it spills over the table. "Hinata, are you –?"

"I-I'm sorry! Please excuse me!" She stammers before rushing off the bathroom. Sweat dots her forehead, and today's lunch finds itself into the toilet. Her throat is dry, and it burns terribly. She's hunched over the toilet in her father's estate, letting out pitiful sobs.

She can't escape him. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape him.

* * *

Hinata finds the bouquet of daffodils in her arms to be quite charming. They are freshly watered, and freshly cut too. The rays of the sun shine down on them and make them look as radiant as ever. Even though she loves them, she can't help but wonder if he'll feel the same way about them too.

After days of contemplating it, Hinata decides to face her fears and take a trip to the hospital. After the embarrassing stunt she pulled at her father's estate, Hinata feels that maybe she can remedy these nightmares by going to the source.

At first, she was ready to ask Kiba or Shino to accompany her. This was something she couldn't do alone and the support would have been a tremendous help for her. Then, Hinata realized that this was something that she needed to do alone, whether she wanted to or not.

She was hurting, and this could have been the romantic in her speaking, but she was sure that she could feel his pain too. They were connected in some obscure way – they had to be. He wouldn't have called out to her if there truly wasn't something there.

Is it a stretch to say that the universe practically mashed them together like this? Hinata isn't sure if she even believes in destinies and divine intervention, but maybe the two of them were truly fated to meet in such a convoluted way.

And maybe they'd properly meet sooner if she could just force herself to walk inside of the hospital. This was nerve-wracking, but Hinata has hit rock bottom. The only place she could possibly go from here is up, and it's optimism that helps her get through those automatic sliding doors.

The vibe of the waiting room gives her a sense of uneasiness. It looks so drab and grey – a big contrast to normal hospitals that are white and sterile looking. What does make her relax a bit is the warm smile the receptionist gives her upon entering.

Hinata gives a smile of her own as she makes her way to the front desk. "And what can I help you with today?" The receptionist asks.

"Ah, yes. I'm looking for… Uzumaki Naruto's room." His name on her tongue feels so foreign. It's a nice name though, she thinks. The leafing of papers catches her attention, and the sudden "A-ha," from the receptionist makes her clutch the bouquet in her arms just a little tighter.

"Found it! Uzumaki-san is on the sixth floor, room seven," she tells her. "I'll fill out a guest pass for you and you can take the elevators to your right." Hinata receives her guest pass, and it's a rather slow walk to the elevators for her.

Momentarily, she thinks of going back home. What if he doesn't want to see her? What if he already has other visitors? She'd only be embarrassing herself even further. Even though the negative thoughts circle around her mind, she still rides the elevator to the sixth floor, and her feet still carry her to the entrance of room seven.

She peeks in, and is relieved that he's the only one in there. She can see the bandages on his head and face. He's even wearing a cast on his right arm. Seeing him bandaged up hurts, but it's better than the gory images of him that frequent her dreams. His eyes are closed. His chest rises and falls peacefully.

Hinata doesn't want to wake him. He looks comfortable. But she has to disturb his slumber if they're to ever meet properly. Slowly, she sets foot into the room with an increased heart rate and bated breath. Right now, she's the closest she's ever been to him – just a foot away from his hospital bed.

She breathes in, then slowly exhales. Despite this, her nerves don't actually go away. "U-um… Excuse me, Uzumaki-san?" She calls out to him. Her voice is too soft, she mentally scolds herself. She needs to be louder. "Uzumaki-san?" She tries again, but there's a firmness in it this time.

His eyes take a while to flutter open, but when they do, she finds them staring right at her. She tenses up, as she isn't sure what to say or do. It's okay though, because when he gives his eyes time to adjust to her, they widen in awe.

"It's you," he finally speaks, and she's so glad to hear something from him other than "save me."

Hinata nods. "Y-yes… Hello."

"This… this isn't a dream is it?" A dream? She shakes her head no. Naruto gives a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I never thought I'd see you again."

"You mean, you're not angry with me?" Hinata asks, genuinely startled by his response.

His mannerisms are so strange to her, especially when he gives her a grin as warm as the sun. "How could I be, especially when you got me really pretty flowers," he laughs. A small warmth tickles her cheeks, and Hinata sets down the bouquet of daffodils on his night table.

Honestly, how could she forget that she was even carrying them?

"If anyone's angry, it should be you. I messed up pretty badly when I started yelling at you from across the street," he chuckles.

Hinata can't help but let out a small laugh of her own. "I don't think I've ever been called someone's 'dream girl' before. And admittedly, I was frightened. But I wasn't mad at you. After I heard about what happened to you, how could I be?"

"You're just as nice as I pictured you," Naruto smiles. It's so heartfelt that Hinata smiles too. "Just out of curiosity, how'd you know which hospital to visit?"

"Oh? I asked Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. They gave me the address of this place yesterday."

His sudden gasp causes her to squeak out in surprise. "You're Hinata!" He cries. All she can do is nod faintly. What did that even matter? "Aw, man! I'm so stupid! I could have met you sooner! If I had, maybe this whole mess wouldn't have even happened!"

Hinata isn't quite sure what Naruto is so wound up about, but she doesn't ask. Instead, she moves closer to the bed to grab hold of his left hand. It's large and warm – comforting too. "Are you... here by yourself often?" She asks.

Her actions surprise him, but they aren't unwelcomed. "Yeah, actually. I mean, some people stop by to visit once in a while, but it makes sense since they all have jobs and lives to tend to."

"What about your parents or siblings?"

"Don't have any," he replies.

She's taken aback by the casual tone of voice he says it in. "I'm so sorry," she apologizes. "That was rather insensitive of me."

Naruto shakes his head. "It's okay. I'm used to it."

Even though he says that, it doesn't make it any better. Maybe this is how he's really suffering, and if Hinata really wants to help him then… "If that's the case, then I'll visit you every day so that you're never lonely again."

Her eyes hold a type of fire in them that makes his heart skip a beat. He's heard her say things like this before, but every time she did, she'd always leave. But this isn't his dream anymore, so maybe she really means it this time. "I'm sure you're busy too, right?"

"Not busy enough that I can't see you, Uzumaki-san. I'll come by to visit every single day, I promise." She wants to help him. She couldn't do it in her dreams, but maybe this reality is her chance.

"Okay," he grins. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow then."

She nods. "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow."

Soon than she likes, visiting hours comes to an end, and Hinata leaves the hospital feeling better than she's been in a long time.


	3. III

Hey, long time no see, right? I had a lot of stuff going on. Finished up my third year of school, went on vacation, fell into the Fire Emblem fandom, all good things. But I didn't forget about this.

Enjoy.

* * *

She is everything he dreamed she would be.

During visiting hours, Hinata always greets him with a tender smile. They are the same ones she'd give him in his dreams when she would caress the side of his face and stare into his eyes lovingly. He remembers it so clearly.

When she moves to sit on the chair next to his bedside, she's so close to him that he can get a whiff of her lavender scented shampoo. Every movement she makes is elegant, from the way she crosses her legs to how she shyly tucks a lock of dark, silk-like hair behind her ear.

She's as kind as she was in his dreams too. She listens to every single word that leaves his lips; she laughs when he tells her a joke and nods her head lightly when he speaks of something serious. She asks questions and is genuinely curious about him.

That made Naruto feel important for once in his bleak and murky life.

Naruto is grateful for Hinata. Watching the white wall of his hospital room day and night with little company was tiresome, and what's worse was that after seeing Hinata for the first time, his dreams of her never came back.

He was miserable – to have the woman of his dreams slip through his fingers without ever knowing if he'd ever see her again crushed him. Waking up in the hospital each morning without those dreams of Hinata drove him mad. At that point, Naruto thought he had lost it all.

Naruto wanted so badly to take back all his frustrations and every terrible thing he had ever said about his dreams. So what if they weren't real? They were real enough for him, but it was too late. Hinata was gone, and all he had to remember her by were those lucid dreams.

That was what he had originally thought until the day Hinata stood by his bedside to comfort him.

His chest begins to tighten at memory as a small smiled spreads across his face. Hinata came back for him. She came to follow through with her promises in his dreams; to make sure that he is never lonely again.

Naruto can't bear to tell her about the dreams he's had about her. What if he scares her off again? With that constant fear in the back of his mind, Naruto decides to keep the dreams to himself, and instead, finds other things to talk to her about. While his hospital room can be a little drab, Naruto is content as long as Hinata is by his side.

"Uzumaki-san," she calls out to him, "what are you smiling about?"

Although he says she's everything he's dreamed of, there are a few small differences. For example, he hasn't gotten used to the way she calls him "Uzumaki-san." It sounds so foreign to him. He gives a low chuckle, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

"Ya know, Hinata," he starts, "you don't have to be so formal around me. We're friends, aren't we? And besides, I've been really informal with you, so it's only fair." It seems he's caught her off guard as he watches her eyes widen in surprise while a light pink colors her cheeks.

Slowly, her eyes drift away from him as she shifts in her seat. "Um… is Naruto-kun okay?"

This sounds more like her. "Yeah," Naruto grins. "It sounds perfect!"

"So, what were you smiling about? Did you remember a funny joke or something?" The color on her cheeks are now gone and she's looking at him once more. Now it's his turn to blush as he thinks back on what actually made him smile in the first place.

Would it have been cliché for him to say, "You"?

"No, I was just thinking about tomorrow. The nurses say I'll get to leave in the afternoon." It isn't a complete lie. The good news made its way to him this morning, and the jovial feeling hasn't left him yet. Being able to move around freely would be one step on the road back to his normal life.

"Oh my," Hinata chirps as she claps her hands together. "That's wonderful. I'm very happy for you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto can't help but grin goofily at her. She's so genuine about everything that it's easy to put his trust in her. "Thanks, I am too," he says. "Hey, I know you said you'd visit me every day, but does that extend to my time outside of the hospital?"

Her lips part to say something, but nothing comes out. He's caught Hinata off guard again, because she wears the same deer-caught-in-headlights look that she did just minutes ago. Naruto's brain flies into a panic. There's a big chance that Hinata is only visiting him because she feels bad about what happened. He's probably making her uncomfortable at this point.

"Well, I…" she begins, but Naruto cuts her off.

"Hey, hey!" He laughs boisterously. It makes Hinata squeak in surprise. His large grin is forced, but it does a decent job of covering up his blunder and masking his fears. "I'm just teasing you, don't sweat it! Visiting someone everyday would get really tiresome, right?"

Besides, Kiba and Shino told him just what a big deal she really was. Studying out of the country? Taking up a job at a big name company? Hinata is set to do wonderful things in life. She's much too busy to be hanging around him, and the fact that she even gives him the time of day is rather astonishing.

"But, what about your arm?" Hinata asks. Her eyes are filled with concern. "It's still in a cast and you live alone. How will you take care of things?"

She's right.

It isn't as if he can stay in the hospital until he fully recovers. His bills must have been outrageous by now, and any more time spent here would result in crippling debt. He can't work, he can't earn money and he can't pay bills. He's stuck in a tight spot.

Despite this, Naruto doesn't show her his pain.

"Don't worry," he smiles. "I'll think of something."

* * *

It's worse than he expected.

His small apartment is looking as dingy as ever. The same dirty laundry litters the floor while beer bottles and empty cups of instant ramen can be found in the most obscure places. The newspaper from a few months ago is still stuck to the table.

A long sigh escapes him before he attempts to remove the paper with his left hand. When part of the paper is lifted, a little brown roach is uncovered. It twitches its antennas at him before it scurries off in the other direction.

Naruto backs away from the paper, and makes a sound of disgust as shiver climbs down his spine. Everything here is revolting. He needs to clean up, but instead, Naruto finds himself lying on his bed belly up, stressing about everything he needs to get done.

He's low on pocket money. There's hardly anything to eat here. He could pull money out of his savings, but what will he do when that runs out. There isn't much money in there either. It's impossible for him to work at a ramen shop with only one arm – especially his non-dominant one. And Teuchi can't keep him on paid leave forever.

Naruto would have to be replaced eventually, and the thought of it leaves a steady feeling of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He could always reach out and ask for help, but who would be able to support him for a little while?

If he was being honest with himself, it felt weird ticking off his friends on his fingers and determining which ones were more reliable. They did all they could to make him happy during his time in the hospital. Naruto is beginning to feel like he's crossing a line somewhere.

Slowly, his mind drifts to thoughts of Hinata. It turns out that he was able to leave the hospital bright and early this morning instead of in the afternoon. What if she stops by later to see him? The receptionist would undoubtedly tell her that he's been discharged. It hasn't been an entire day yet, and already Naruto misses her.

His hand moves towards his cluttered night table to grab his phone. Crumpled papers and miscellaneous items fall off the table, but he pays no attention to them as he stares at the screen of his cell phone. His thumb moves across the screen to search for her number, and when he finds it, he's a bit hesitant to press the call button.

A million excuses flood his mind as to why he shouldn't call her right now, but his heart yearns to hear her voice again, even if it's only for a minute. His heart speaks louder than his mind does, and his thumb taps the call button before he presses the phone to his ear.

It rings several times, and each time it does, Naruto starts to regret this decision a little more. That is until after the fifth ring when she actually does pick up, and a soft, "Hello?" can be heard from the other end of the phone.

"Hinata, hey," he speaks. "Sorry about calling out of the blue."

"Don't worry about it. A phone call from you is a pleasant surprise," he can almost hear her smiling on the other end, and this prompts him to smile as well. "Is everything alright? Did you need something?"

Instinctively, Naruto attempts to move his hand to scratch the top of his head. He's forgotten that his arm is still healing, and the sharp twinge reminds him of this. He hisses in pain, which doesn't go unheard by Hinata.

In a voice laced in concern, Hinata asks, "Naruto-kun, are you okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" He assures her. "I just moved my arm too fast. But don't worry! Uh, actually… I called to tell you that I'm already out of the hospital."

"Oh! I'm so happy for you, but I thought you were leaving a bit later."

Naruto isn't sure, but is sounds like there's a hint of disappointment in Hinata's voice. "Yeah, I thought so too. Were you going to visit or something?"

"…Yes. I had something that I wanted to give you," she pauses momentarily. "But, maybe another time then? You just got home, so you must be tired."

"No, no! Today's fine!" Naruto practically shoots up out of bed. "I've been resting for weeks now, and I'd really appreciate your company."

"That would be wonderful!" Any trace of disappointment in her voice is gone now. "Should I make my way to your house?"

One quick glance around his room causes him to sweat nervously. "Er… how about we meet up at the park? I'm really craving fresh air since I've been cooped up in bed for a while. Does that sound good to you, Hinata?"

Her small laughter on the other end of the phone is so sweet. "Kiba-kun and Shino-kun were right about you. Staying in one place isn't really your style. But the park sounds like a good idea. I'll see you there soon?"

"Yeah, I'll see you."

The call ends, and Naruto breathes a sigh of relief. How embarrassing would it be to bring Hinata into a home like his? The thought of them sitting together on his couch was a nice one, save for the horrible smell, heaps of garbage and dirty laundry as well as bugs that crawl about the place.

Naruto doesn't give the terrible idea another thought before leaving his room to jam his feet into his shoes. Who knew something as easy as putting on shoes could prove to be somewhat of an annoyance without another hand?

Once his shoes are on and he's out the door, his eyes look for his bicycle. "Oh, that's right," he murmurs. His bike was absolutely totaled in that accident. And even if it was in perfect condition, his arm was not.

Naruto sighs.

Today was supposed to be his first step forward into his normal world. In just a few hours of being out of the hospital, it feels as if he's taken two steps back.

* * *

Hinata sits on a bench in the park alone.

Idly, she kicks her feet. The heels of her shoes scrapes on the gravel path underneath her. Her fingers grip the flimsy, rectangular box that rests on her lap ever so lightly. Time seems to pass so slowly while she's here. Five minutes have passed since her arrival, but it feels as though she has been waiting for Naruto for hours.

Maybe it's her anticipation to see him again that has her so worked up like this.

Last night, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about his question. Did her promise really extend to his time outside of the hospital? Naruto certainly does have a habit of catching her off guard with questions like those. In any case, it isn't exactly hard for her to admit that he's grown on her.

It is his charm and good sense of humor, she is sure of it.

But beneath all of that, Hinata knows that there's some part of him that hurts. It's hard to explain, but she can feel it. The aura around him feels different when she asks him questions about his life currently. Although he gives her those large grins that practically brighten up her day, sometimes she can't help but notice how dull they look from time to time.

Hinata wants to extend her promise into all aspects of his life, but it seems as though Naruto wants to keep her out of it. It's all so peculiar to her. In her nightmares, he would always beg her to save him. The desperation in his voice was so life like.

In this reality, however, he doesn't want her help. Maybe, Hinata thinks, the reality of all this is that she really is useless and Naruto knows it this time. After all those countless times he's perished in her nightmares, it makes plenty of sense that he's learned by now.

Momentarily, Hinata contemplates leaving. Facing him now would just be too much to handle.

But it seems that the gods wanted her to suffer today, because as soon as she stands up to leave, Naruto is calling out to her in such a boisterous voice. He smiles at her, and waves his left arm freely. He's so carefree in this moment; so happy to see her. She forgets her worries at the sight of him, and allows a small smile to spread across her face as he gets closer.

"Hey," he greets her, "I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"

She shakes her head no. "Not at all. Actually, I was just thinking about taking a walk since today's weather is so nice." Hinata feels bad for lying, but it was the only option that didn't make her sound like a complete fool. "But now that you're here, I don't have to."

He scratches the back of his head. "I mean, I don't mind taking a walk with you. It is a pretty day after all."

"Oh. Well, I wanted to share my gift with you," she says. Her eyes look at the box in her hands, and then at him. "I don't want them to get cold since they're not as good like that."

"Right, you did get me something!" He does it again – that signature squinty eyed grin that Hinata loves so much. He takes a seat on the bench, and motions for her to sit with him. "What are these anyway? They smell really good."

Hinata opens the box to reveal six cinnamon rolls, all topped with vanilla icing. "I love cinnamon rolls, and I thought that maybe you'd like them too. I get them from my favorite shop –"

"The Bread Pan," Naruto says, and initially, Hinata is taken by surprise.

"How did you know?"

He starts to sweat. Hinata's never told him about her favorite bakery. At least, this one hasn't. The Hinata in his dreams told him all about it when she sat in his lap and left the faintest kisses along his neck. The thought of her in his lap makes him gulp.

"H-how did I know?" He repeats. "Well, I mean… it's the best bakery in Konoha City, isn't it? And it's mine too." Actually, Naruto has never set foot into the store, but he's willing to say anything at this point if it meant saving his own skin.

Hinata doesn't catch his lie, and her eyes practically light up. "Oh, is it really? Then I'm sure you'll love these." Her hand automatically reaches for a cinnamon roll, but she stops herself. "Ah, I forgot. We aren't in the hospital anymore, so I don't need to feed you."

"I don't really mind," Naruto winks. Hinata's cheeks begin to grow warm, and he chuckles. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

"Oh, right! O-of course!" Is all she manages to stammer. As Naruto swipes one of the cinnamon rolls, Hinata covers her face in embarrassment. To think that she almost said yes to him – she's lucky that she wasn't as quick to answer.

"Woah, these are really good!" Naruto cries, and Hinata removes her hands from her face to look at him. She wants to laugh. He's got icing on the corners of his mouth just after a couple of into the sweet treat. "I should buy these more often, they're so amazing!"

Hinata giggles and pulls her handkerchief out of her pocket. "Naruto-kun is like a child," she says before she wipes the corners of his mouth clean. "You've even gotten a bit of icing on your nose too. How did that happen?"

Naruto gives a sheepish chuckle. "I dunno. I guess I'm just a bit messy. But hey, I've got you to take care of me, right?"

She cleans the icing from the tip of his nose before she really thinks about his statement. Although she's sure that Naruto means it in a frivolous way, he isn't wrong. "Yes, it's true," Hinata smiles. He'd have her around to care for him from now on.

* * *

"So, I was thinking we'd all have a get together since it's been so long since everyone's seen each other," Kiba grins. Naruto doesn't care much, as his focus is on his bowl of ramen in front of him. His frustration is aimed at his struggle to even hold his chopsticks in his left hand, let alone pick up noodles.

At this rate, Naruto thinks he'd be better off drinking ramen out of a straw.

"Yo! You're not even listening to me, what the hell?" Kiba cries.

"Do you not see me struggling to eat with only one functioning arm?" Naruto counters. "Of course I'm not listening to you, I'm trying to concentrate!" He can only roll his eyes as his friend flings his arms up in the air in exasperation.

Honestly, Kiba is more dramatic than he cares to admit. "I'm talking about a meet up with everyone else! Chouji said we should have dinner at Yakiniku Q, and Ino agreed. I dunno how those two and Shikamaru never get tired of eating over there, but whatever. Anyways, everyone's gonna be there!"

Dinner at Yakiniku Q? Naruto isn't so sure. It's one thing to see all his friends in one spot again, but his wallet is practically crying out in pain. His medical bills are higher than expected, and since he's currently out of a job, he can't pay for that or his rent.

Teuchi already found a new replacement for him, not that Naruto holds it against him. If anything, it's his fault that his old boss was losing money for a stupid kid who went and got his arm broken chasing after a woman.

So, there's no more money coming from there either.

And the only reason Naruto is sitting at Ichiraku Ramen, enjoying (or at least trying to) a big, hot steaming bowl of miso ramen is because Teuchi is kind enough to let him eat for free. Somehow, Naruto is beginning to feel like a moocher.

"I dunno, I'm not really feeling barbeque," Naruto says. He tries to use his chopsticks again, only to have the three noodles he's picked up to slip out of his grasp and plop back into the hot broth. He lets out a small sigh at his failure. "And for once, I don't really feel like going out either. Kinda just wanted to relax this weekend."

Kiba watches as Naruto barely gets to slurp one of his noodles. "Do you like… want help with that or something?" He asks with narrowed eyes.

"I can do it on my own." Naruto states in a matter-of-fact tone.

"If you say so. Jeez, you're so stubborn," Kiba says. "Anyways, what do you mean you're not going? This is the first time in a while everyone's gonna get together all in one spot! Sides, you complained that me and Shino never bring Hinata to hang out with everyone, and now that she's tagging along too, you don't wanna go."

Naruto turns to face Kiba, and the surprisingly large number of noodles he's caught this time slips out of his chopsticks. He doesn't take notice. "Hinata's going?" He asks. Kiba doesn't see the big deal, but he nods anyway.

It's been a while since he's seen her in person, but they always do manage to talk to each other on the phone, even if it is for a short period of time. Work has her tied up these days, and he kind of envies her for it.

"If you're so adamant about it, I can show up this weekend, no problem," Naruto grins. While Kiba argues that he isn't being adamant about it, Naruto thinks about how he'll get to see Hinata again.

* * *

When the sun sets and the fluorescent streetlights flicker on one by one, the city almost turns into a different place completely.

Neon signs give Konoha that pop of color it's been looking for all day, and the people who occupy the streets with their edgy fashion sense look like they fit right into the scenery. Heels click against the concrete sidewalk while street vendors pack up and go home for the night. Taxi's pull up at night clubs as some people stumble in the streets with flushed faces.

In Yakiniku, the atmosphere is just the same as it is in the streets. It isn't overly crowded, but just enough so that the place feels lively. Through all the hustle and bustle, it seems as though the table where Hinata is sitting is the loudest, not that she really minds.

They way that all these different people clash and meld together is so interesting to her. Have they always been this close? Briefly, she wonders if there's any room for herself to fit in with such a tightknit group of friends.

"Hey, Hinata," a blonde woman calls out to her. Her brow is furrowed, and she gives a small smile that somewhat comforts her. If she remembers correctly, this person's name is Ino. "You're so quiet. What's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "No, I'm okay. Honestly."

"Ah, don't worry about her," Kiba grins. "Hinata's always been a quiet person!"

"How does someone so loud make friends with two of the quietest people around?" Sakura asks.

Shino takes a sip of his beer before saying, "Kiba just stuck around us long enough that eventually, we had to come up with a title for what we all were."

"You get some alcohol into your system and suddenly you're reckless at the mouth, huh?" Kiba fires back while the rest of their table laughs good-naturedly. Not many people knew, but Shino did possess a sharp tongue and witty remarks.

He's just hardly ever given the chance to show it since everyone else's voice is so much more overpowering.

"Oh, there you are! It's about time you showed your face!" Ino cries, and Hinata looks up to find that Naruto has finally arrived. Her smile widens, and she finds herself just a bit more excited about this little outing.

"Sorry about that," he laughs, "I got the times mixed up."

Sasuke's eyebrow quirks up in question. "How? I sent you multiple text messages."

"Yeah, I meant to check those, but I figured you were yelling about something, so I ignored it."

"I was yelling about something – your tardiness."

Kiba snickers. "It's hard to take Sasuke seriously when he says words like 'tardiness.'"

Naruto gives a big laugh of his own and the two pounds fists as Sasuke gives a sigh of exasperation.

"Don't do that over the table before you knock the drinks over!" Shikamaru scolds them.

"My bad, my bad," Naruto apologizes before squeezing himself at the very end of the booth, right next to Ino. It just so happens that he's sitting right across Hinata as well, and it's a good thing too because tonight, she's even more breathtaking than usual. "Hinata! Hey, you look really nice tonight!"

Slowly, her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and she casts her gaze away from him. He's so casual about these things, but it's even more embarrassing because all eyes feel like they're on her. It takes her a while to mumble a small, "Thank you."

"My, my, Naruto. Aren't we suave tonight?" Ino teases with her right hand resting daintily on her lips.

"Why is it that we don't get complimented?" Sai interjects. Naruto can't tell if he's genuinely asking or if he's following Ino's lead. Either way, it's annoying.

"Because why would I compliment you?" Naruto sneers.

"Hey, hey!" Chouji cuts in. "Now that Naruto's here, can we order? I'm starving!"

Naruto's sneer shifts into a look of confusion. "Wait, you were all waiting for me?" Once they all confirm, Naruto starts to feel a little bad for his "tardiness," as Sasuke would say. "I'm really sorry guys, but you shouldn't have waited… I already ate."

"You're kidding," Sakura says, deadpanned. When Naruto sort of shrugs pathetically, everyone knows he's struck a nerve. "You knew you were coming here to eat, why did you even bother eating right before!? Is that the real reason why you were late? Because you were stuffing your face beforehand?"

"No, no! I really mixed up the times, I swear!" He tries to reason with her.

"Yelling's not gonna make us any less hungry," Shikmaru says with an air of nonchalance. "We'll be eating in no time, so relax."

"Just out of curiosity, what'd you have for dinner anyway?" Chouji asks. "Was it anything good?"

Before Naruto can answer, Sasuke murmurs, "Probably the same instant ramen he eats every day." It causes a good amount of chuckling from most of the table while Naruto makes a face. He'd say something, but everyone does seem to be a lot calmer – even if it is at his expense.

Shikamaru is right. It feels like time has hardly passed when Naruto watches his friends grill assortments of delicious beef, dipping them in miso-based dipping sauces. The aroma gets his mouth watering, but he can only take a sip of his water as the steady growling from his stomach is masked by all the commotion.

Naruto is starving, but no matter how hard his empty belly cries for food, his wallet is just as empty, and there's no fixing that.

"Naruto-kun?" He can barely hear her over the mishmash of voices surrounding them, but they don't completely drown her out. His eyes dart over to her, and he's staring into lavender eyes that look at him so tenderly. Her arm is stretched out, and a piece of freshly grilled meat is caught between her chopsticks. "Would you like to try a little? It's very delicious."

 _She's a saint_ , he thinks. _An absolute angel_.

Just as he's about to take her up on her offer, Kiba, with a mouth full of food, cuts in, "Hey, didn't you eat already?" Naruto could kill him right now.

"Oh, Kiba-kun… It's just one piece. It doesn't hurt to try one," Hinata says before placing it down onto the empty plate before him. Naruto watches as she turns to pick up a napkin and begins to dab the corners of Kiba's mouth. "Sheesh, you're such a messy eater. You have sauce all over you," she scolds him lightly.

In this moment, Naruto thinks about how kind and motherly she is. His gaze moves from her to the single piece of meat on his plate, and his eyes soften. Hinata really is an incredible woman inside and outside of his dreams.

This time, he only has to try once to pick up the beef between his chopsticks before eating. The flavor is impeccable, and he chews slowly, savoring every second of it before it's gone. When it's gone, he hungers for more, but his self-control is the ultimate winner.

"Oh, was it good?" Hinata asks. She's finished taking care of Kiba, and her attention is solely on him.

"Yeah," he smiles, "It was delicious."

The conversations and laughter carry on into the night. Glasses that overflowed with beer are now empty, and the plates filled with beef are all cleaned out. The bill rest in the middle of the table, but no one has a chance to look at it properly yet. Instead, they all sit back and let tonight's dinner digest properly.

"Man, I'm stuffed," Chouji pats his stomach. "We should do this again sometime."

"Agreed! It's been much too long. Maybe we can strive for something like this once a month?" Sakura suggests. "Hinata, you'll be coming again to hang out with us too, right?"

Touched by the invite, Hinata smiles. "Yes, I'd love to."

"Wow, really?" Shikamaru asks. "I'm surprised some of us didn't scare you off."

One of Ino's eyebrows raises. "Why did you look my way when you said that?"

"I wasn't looking at you," he tells her. "Just in your general direction."

"Uh-huh…" she retorts.

"Say," Sai begins. "My bill for tonight looks pretty big. Naruto, would you like to treat a friend to dinner for tonight?"

He's got that same shit eating smile on his face that makes Naruto snort. "Yeah right. You just don't want to pay."

Sai's smile turns from jeering to sheepish in just seconds. "Haha, caught me red handed."

"Please, you're asking Naruto to pay for your dinner?" Sasuke smirks. "He can't even foot his own bill for tonight and he didn't even eat."

Although a few chuckles emerge from the table, Hinata can see Naruto's brow furrow in anger as his eyes narrow and he begins to scowl. She wants to reach for his hand from underneath the table and assure him that everything's okay, but he's faster. "Would you fucking knock it off already!? You're not funny!"

The unexpected uproar shocks Sasuke, and his lips curve into his usual frown. "What's your problem? It's a joke, I'm sure you've heard of one."

"Are you actually being serious right now?" Naruto cries incredulously. "I'm so tired of you – you always pull this crap and then play the, 'oh, I was just messing around' card every time!"

"Don't start to twist this shit on me and start causing a scene –!"

"Sasuke-kun, wait a moment," Sakura attempts to get him to calm down, but he isn't having any of it right now. His attention is solely on Naruto at the moment.

"Are you actually offended about some stupid joke about a bill!?"

"I just got out of the hospital and I've been out of a job for weeks, what the _fuck_ do you think!?"

"Wait," Kiba cut's in, "is that why you didn't eat tonight?"

"Kiba!" Shino scolds.

The table has gone eerily quiet, and Kiba's question makes him realize that he's aired his entire dirty laundry to all of his friends. His eyes gloss over his friends and the obvious secondhand embarrassment they're showcasing to Sasuke's mangled look of pity and regret. Then he sees Hinata and the look of shock across her face hurts.

His cheeks immediately turn a shade of red. "I… I gotta go," he manages to stammer before slipping out of the booth. He can hear Ino and Chouji try to call him back to the table but it's too late. He can't go back and look anyone in the eye at this point.

"Maybe… maybe you should say something to him, Sasuke-kun," Sakura says.

"I feel like it'd just make it worse," Shikamaru tells them. "Maybe Naruto just needs some time to cool off – you saw how angry he was."

Hinata doesn't agree with this. She wants to go out there and find him. He couldn't have gotten too far, and it's very likely that he hasn't gotten too far. It's as if Shino can read her mind, because he tells her, "Don't worry. Naruto just needs to be alone for now."

No.

Hinata knows that being alone is the last thing that Naruto needs.


	4. IV

I think I'm gonna end this next chapter. It just feels right.

Enjoy.

* * *

The springs of Naruto's tattered old mattress let out a squeal as he attempts to shift into a more comfortable position. His eyes, heavy with exhaustion, continue to stare at the ceiling of his bedroom. Although utterly tired, the feelings of embarrassment and uneasiness in the pit of his stomach still linger from last night's outing.

Since then, he's received exactly ten missed calls, four voicemails, and 14 text messages. Naruto does not respond to any of them. Instead, he listens to the constant vibrations of his cellphone and anxiously waits for them to pass. When they do, he continues to silently berate himself for his foolishness.

Honestly, how did he manage humiliate himself like that in front of all his friends? Especially Hinata.

He knows she's asked on more than one occasion if he'd be alright on his own, and he still let his pride get the best of him. Hinata is someone that Naruto wants to impress the most. He wants to make her smile as bright as she did when he placed gentle kisses on her flushed skin. He wants to hear the beautiful laugh she produces when he tells a joke.

Dream Hinata thinks of him as perfection, and Naruto has to admit that she made him feel perfect in every single way.

But the real Hinata? Surely after last night she thinks of him as a broke loser who isn't worth any more of the time that she so generously had given him in the first place. A part of Naruto knows that Hinata would never think of another person like that. If she's the same woman in his dreams, then she's much too kind for that.

However, his anxiety gets the best of him.

It hounds him all the way to the dark recesses of his mind, and for an entire day, Naruto does not eat or sleep. He thinks. He thinks about the upcoming rent due in a week. He thinks about the looks of pity his friends throw at him, as if he really needs it.

He begins to think about how lonely he truly is, with no one who, at the end of the day, is there to greet him, take his mind off of the long day he's had, and embrace him for as long as they can. Sasuke has something like that. Sai has something like that.

All of his friends have that companion – or at the very least, someone that's willing to do it for them.

All Naruto has are the memories of his dreams about Hinata, and the impossible wish that they can become whatever it is they were in those beautiful dreams. The tears that well in his eyes trickle down and soak the pillow underneath him for hours until there are no more tears for him to produce.

Instead, he lies in bed with puffy red eyes and a heavy heart.

From the blinds of his window, Naruto can see the sun begin to set. The orange and red colors in the sky mix together so effortlessly, and he can tell that it's almost 6 P.M. His doorbell rings, and his heart rate speeds up as he lies deathly still in bed.

And after his doorbell stops ringing, his phone begins to buzz once more. Naruto lets out a groan, wishing his friends would get off his back about that silly night. It's probably Sakura out there, who brought along a begrudging Sasuke in an attempt to get them to make up.

Or maybe Ino's outside with Choji and Shikamaru, desperate to know about Naruto's miserable lifestyle.

After 15 painfully long minutes have gone by, Naruto manages to get out of bed, despite how badly his body protests. It's a slow and sluggish walk to the front door, and the absolute mess in his apartment isn't helping to improve his mood in the least.

Cerulean eyes peek through the peephole, but whoever rang his doorbell for five or so minutes is gone. What catches his eyes is a plastic bag, filled with what, he isn't sure. Naruto opens the front door, and a shiver crawls up his spine due to the surprisingly chilly weather outside.

Upon further inspection, the plastic bag is from the local supermarket, and contains a few snacks from what he can tell. Naruto takes it inside and sits at the kotatsu table to examine its contents. There are barbecue flavored chips, instant ramen, a couple of packaged rice balls and some cans of juice.

As he eyes the snacks, his stomach lets out a fearsome grumble, and Naruto decides it'd be best to eat something. After all, he hasn't eaten a full meal since… well, he can't remember the last time he's eaten like that.

As he fishes out one of the rice balls, a smooth surface rubs against his hand, and Naruto recoils from the bag before reaching out to retrieve whatever it was that touched him. It was a neatly handwritten note, and with narrowed eyes, Naruto's eyes scan over it.

The note reads:

 _Naruto-kun,_

 _I wasn't sure which snacks you liked, so I really hope you'll enjoy what I got. Everyone wants to talk to you, and to know how you're doing, including me. Don't forget to eat. And please, don't be afraid to call or text._

 _– Hinata_

With each time Naruto reads over the note, his chest tightens, as does his grip on the card. She's being so kind to him. She's being so patient with him. He wants to reach out to her for help, he really does, but something in him won't allow it.

Is it because he doesn't want to seem needy? Or maybe it's because he doesn't want embarrass himself further by asking for something they all know he desperately needs. He places the note down on the table and rests his heads in his hands.

Where has his style of brashness and forwardness gone? It isn't hard to dial a number and say, "I need help."

 _It's not supposed to be this hard,_ he thinks later that night, right after he decides to give up on texting Hinata.

* * *

"Hey, watch how you're pouring that tea! That stuff's hot!" Kiba cries out. Hinata, who had been serving her guests, let the glass overflow considerably. As Shino scrambles to clean the mess on the table, Hinata apologizes profusely.

Once the mess is properly cleaned up, Kiba scratches the back of his head with a sigh. "Jeez Hinata, someone could've got burned. What were you doing spacing out like that anyway?"

"I didn't mean to, I just…" her voice trails off. For an entire week now, the person who frequently occupies her thoughts is Naruto. She sometimes loses sleep over whether or not he's eaten anything, or if he's taking care of himself.

No matter how many text messages she sends, or how many times she calls his phone, he doesn't answer her. Then she panics. Is this what her dreams were alluding to as well? She remembers no matter how hard she tried to help, it always ended up with the same result.

With each unanswered phone call, Hinata wonders if something terrible has happened to him. "I um… I'm just really worried about Naruto-kun."

The room is tense when she mentions his name. Shino slides his glasses up on his face and Kiba gazes off to the side, scratching his cheek with his index finger. It's as if Akamaru can sense the feeling in the room too, because he buries his head into his paws and lets out a whine.

"We're all worried about Naruto," Shino speaks. "This is rather unlike him, and I never thought he'd be hiding something as big as this."

"Yeah, tell me about it. And no one's heard from him since that night." Kiba sighs, and lightly drums his fingers on the table. "I thought inviting him out would be a good thing but we all saw how that went. And I keep thinking that this is all my fault."

Hinata shakes her head. "You were only being considerate, Kiba-kun. I don't think Naruto-kun would hold anything against you…"

"I know, he's not really the type for that but man, I dunno…" Kiba pauses momentarily. "I just think if I was more sensitive about it, this whole thing coulda been avoided, know what I mean?"

An almost bone-crushing silence fills the air before Hinata manages to say, "I went to go see him last week. Just to check up on him."

Shino's posture straightens. "And what happened?"

"He didn't answer the door. And when I called, he never picked up," she explains. "I just stood there for a while before I left the grocery bag in front of the door. I'm… not even sure if he took it, to be honest."

"Damn," Kiba breathes. "…Should we just barge in? What if he's not alright?"

"I don't think that's our call to make," Shino says. "Why? Because Naruto is probably tired of us bothering him. No one's stopped trying to reach him since last Saturday. Give him at least a day to recharge."

Everything in Hinata's heart is screaming that this isn't what Naruto needs. For someone with so many friends and people who care about him, Naruto sure is lonely. How does something like this happen to a person as lively and friendly as Naruto?

It doesn't make any sense.

"I… I'd like to check on him at least one more time," Hinata says. "I just have a really bad feeling about this in the pit of my stomach, and if anything were to happen, I'd feel horrible."

"As nice as it is, why are you so adamant about it, Hinata?" Shino asks. "You just met him not too long ago, after all."

She's thought the same thing countless times, and the only thing she's ever come up with is how selfish she truly is. When her reasoning leaves her lips, Shino and Kiba are confused, and rightfully so. "I guess I should start from the beginning…"

Then, Hinata fills them in on everything. The moment the two of them locked eyes, when he chased her down on his bike, his time at the hospital and her horrible dreams – all of it. She tells them of how the guilt plagues her mind ever since their outing on Saturday, and how it almost makes it hard to breathe.

She knows that Naruto doesn't resent her for it. After all, Kiba did say that Naruto isn't the type to hold grudges, but Hinata just can't help but think that if she had turned around to greet him that day, maybe she would have spared him all this pain.

"That dumbass," Kiba says before sighing. "That's not how you pick up girls at all. I can't believe he told me he was rushing to make it to the supermarket in time before it closed."

Rushing to the supermarket? Maybe Naruto was too embarrassed to tell their friends what truly happened that night, not that she blamed him. "P-please don't tell anyone else about this. If he knew that everyone knew, I'm afraid it'd crush him even more."

"We won't," Shino says. "Hinata, there's nothing to feel guilty for, and you're not selfish for wanting to help."

Even though he says that, her heart just won't allow her to think otherwise.

"That's so weird though," Kiba says, and Shino has to ask what he means. "As reckless as he is, I didn't really take Naruto as the type to chase down a girl he's never met before. Did ya ever get to ask him why?"

"No, I didn't," Hinata says. He never brought it up again, and Hinata wonders if it was out of fear of rejection. It's a normal fear to have. Hinata isn't even sure if she'd say yes. They only just met, wouldn't things be moving much too fast?

Yet at the same time, there is this indescribable connection she feels with him – as if it were fate. It's terrifying to explore – why were they fated to meet this way? There should have been a way with less pain, right?

Hinata gives a small sigh. Maybe she should ask him why he'd been so desperate to catch up to her. She has a feeling that Naruto wasn't just flirting with her when he called her the girl of his dreams.

* * *

Naruto is only partially clothed when he's forced to get of bed by the constant buzzing of his doorbell.

It's probably the landlord, ready to hound Naruto for this month's rent yet again. Naruto knows he's late, there is no need for a reminder every other day, and he promises to hand over the money soon – he just isn't sure where that money will come from.

Bare feet hit the wooden floor of his apartment gently and he uses his left hand to scratch the back of his head. A scowl spreads across his lips, already irritated with the doorbell. He heard it ring the first time!

He swings open the door with great force, and closes his eyes before crying out, "Dammit old man! I already told you I'm working on getting the money!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Naruto's eyes widen in shock. The look of annoyance of his face washes away immediately, and all the muscles in his body suddenly tense up. Hinata stands directly in front of him, carrying a grocery bag of what he assumes to be more snacks.

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion, and lavender eyes look him over in concern. She fixes her mouth to say something to him, but before she can get the chance, Naruto slams the door shut. It's the only thing his body was able to do in response.

Naruto inwardly groans. Why didn't he check the peephole first before opening the door? He could have saved himself so much trouble! He grits his teeth as Hinata calls for him through the door. "Naruto-kun, wait just a moment please! I really want to talk to you!"

He knows, but this is all so embarrassing. With the way he's ignored her and so rudely slammed the door in her face just now, why does she even bother putting up with him? Naruto lets out a sigh, and the fingers on this left hand ball up into a tightened fist.

"Hinata, I really think you should go back home," he spoke tentatively.

"But I don't understand…" her voice trails off, and it pains him to hear the sadness behind it. He knows how desperately she wants to help, and he knows how desperately he needs the help but he still can't find it in himself to say it.

After a few moments of painful silence, Hinata speaks up again. "At least let me give you these snacks. It's the least I can do…"

When he opens the door, there's somewhat of a hopeful look in Hinata's eye as she hands him the grocery bag of snacks. When she manages a sort of somber smile, quite unlike anything he's seen before, his heart practically rips in two.

"Hinata," he begins. "I… I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, I just–"

"I know," she cuts in. "I know it's hard for you to open up. I understand how that feels, but I know you want to be alone so I won't bother you anymore after this."

"I want you to bother me," he speaks before thinking. One part of Naruto wants to kick himself for saying something so weird while another part of him is relieved he did so. Why wouldn't he want Hinata around?

Naruto remembers all the times he lay in bed wishing for her to be real, and the way he felt when he first laid eyes on Hinata outside of those dreams. He'd be a fool to let her slip away after he's yearned for her company for so long.

She looks as surprised by his words as he does, with widened eyes and her mouth just slightly ajar. Naruto moves to say something to her, but her lips move faster. "May I come in?" she asks.

His lips curve into frown. "It's disgusting in there."

"I don't mind," she shoots back, not even missing a beat. "I won't judge you."

A cool breeze sweeps by and causes goosebumps to prickle his skin. Naruto then realizes that he's been talking to Hinata in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers for five minutes now. He begins to cringe. "You can come in, but before we talk, can I uh… put on some pants first…?"

She gasps, and averts her eyes elsewhere as the pop of color on her face grows considerably darker. "Oh, b-but of course!" she squeaks. "God, I'm so sorry…"

Naruto moves to let Hinata inside, and she scurries past him before taking off her shoes. Once he's in his black and orange plaid pajama pants, they sit across from each other at his cluttered table where he sets the bag of groceries she's purchased.

He watches as lavender eyes roam over his shabby apartment, but not in scrutiny. It's as if she's taking this all in. "It must be difficult to do the cleaning with one arm," she says quietly.

"Yeah," he says. It wasn't as if he did any cleaning before he went and broke his arm, but she didn't need to know that.

"I can help with the cleaning," she offers with a smile. "I can come in on weekends for however long you need me too."

"But I feel weird having you come in and clean for me…" Naruto says. Besides, there's so much to do around here for one person. The bathroom, the kitchen, the laundry, his living room – everything is such a mess.

He couldn't ask her to do all of that for him. "I don't want you doing this all by yourself. I can manage."

Hinata's frown speaks volumes about how she feels about that, and Naruto quickly retracts his statement. "Okay, so maybe I can't manage… but this is a lot of work to do by yourself."

She looks over the place once more, and Naruto hopes that she can see that she's about to bite off a little more than she can chew. The silence in the air puts him on edge for a moment, but then she speaks, and changes the topic completely.

"What were you talking about earlier?" she asks. "About getting money?"

Naruto sighs. He really doesn't want to talk about it, but she, along with the rest of his friends, already knows about his financial situation. It'll only hurt him to remain silent about it in the end. "It's the rent money," Naruto tells her. "I'm late, and I really don't know how I'm gonna be able to scrape together any money without a job."

There is a bit of money left in his savings, but with food, rent and medical bills pulling it in three different directions, it's wearing thin.

"…Why didn't you tell me things were like this for you?" Hinata asks. "Back in the hospital, you had me believing that everything was okay… and that you were fine. Why hide everything?"

"Why?" he parrots as he casts his gaze off to the side. "I guess… I just didn't want anyone to worry about me. But look where that's gotten me," he says before giving a dry laugh.

"But everyone's worried because they care about you, Naruto-kun," she argues. "I care about you…"

There's something about the way she says it that reminds him of Dream Hinata. The warmth behind her words is something he hasn't experienced in quite a while. "Do you really mean that…?" he asks.

She nods. "I… I believe so."

What kind of answer was that? When he asks, she fiddles with the hem of her shirt. "I… I thought I was doing this because I was selfish – easing my own guilt because I felt like it was my fault that you had gotten hurt. But I don't think I'd be trying this hard if I really didn't care about what happened to you."

"…It wasn't your fault, y'know. I thought we talked about this."

"And we did." Briefly, but they did. "I remember saying that I had never been called someone's dream girl before. Why did you call me that?"

"That… I can't answer right now," Naruto tells her, fearful that he'll scare her off again with talk of his dreams about her. "But, I promise I'll tell you one day." With a grin, he sticks his left arm across the table and holds out his pinkie for her to grab.

Light laughter escapes from her lips, and Hinata wraps her pinkie finger around his own. It's a promise.

* * *

When Naruto finally has the motivation to take out the trash, he runs into his landlord – just his luck. He'd been trying to avoid him for days now. Naruto would conveniently step out during the typical hours his landlord would drop by or turn his phone off so that he wouldn't have to put up with listening to his phone ring constantly.

He tries to walk the other way, but it's no use. The old man calls out to him, and with a strained smile, Naruto turns around to greet him. It is the respectful thing to do, after all.

"Good morning to you too," he speaks as his eyes slowly trail to Naruto's right arm. "I see that arm is still bandaged up. You really must've banged it up pretty bad."

Well, there _was_ a bone sticking out of it when he lie bleeding in the middle of the street. "Yeah, it was pretty ugly. But I get to go to the hospital soon, and I'll have everything removed, so I'll be fine," he beamed.

The old man gave a sort of wistful sigh. "Ah, the perks of being young. You all can be as reckless as you want and bounce back no problem. It truly is enviable."

 _Yeah,_ Naruto thinks, _because swimming in debt is something you'd call bouncing back no problem._ Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Naruto says, "Hey, hey. I didn't come out here to be lectured, y'know!"

"Yeah, I know that," the landlord argues back.

Thinks get quiet between them for a moment before Naruto just can't take it anymore. "Look, old man, about the money…" he trails off. "I know I said I'd get it to you this week, but I just need a little more time, please!"

His landlord's brow furrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto blinks. "Huh?"

"I already got your rent money – four months' worth of it actually," he says matter-of-factly. "Some young lady stopped by a few days ago and told me that you told her to give it to me."

Young lady? Naruto doesn't even need a description to figure out who the culprit was, but he asks anyway. "What'd she look like?"

"Eh… kinda on the small side, dark hair… ah, and she had these weird white eyes too…" There was no mistaking it. The old man is definitely talking about Hinata. "I was gonna ask if you robbed a bank with all the money you gave me, but since you look clueless, it's safe to say that the money didn't come from you at all. Oh well."

Naruto doesn't pay the old man any mind as he walks past him. At least he'll have him out of his hair for the next four months. Still, Naruto can't help but think of what an angel Hinata is. She didn't have to go do that for him. When he thinks about her kindness, the guilt he thought he'd feel about mooching off of her isn't there.

Instead, it feels like a giant weight as been lifted from his shoulders, and his respect for Hinata has increased tenfold.

* * *

"Yah-ho!" Kiba greets cheerily in front of the doorway. Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sai, Sasuke… they're all here. As Naruto's eyes skeptically shift between the six of them, his lips purse before asking why they're all here, and why are they here so early?

Shikamaru shoves his hands into his pockets and breathes a sigh. "To be honest, I didn't want to come here so early. But I didn't wanna get home late either, so this was the better option."

Naruto's eyes narrow. "Better option for what?"

"For cleaning this place up," Sai says as he and the rest brush past Naruto and enter his apartment. "A little birdie told us that this place was a pigsty."

"Did she now?" he asks dryly as he shuts his front door.

"Well, not exactly in those words," Shino says quietly.

While he did tell her that he didn't want her to clean his entire house by herself, he didn't think she'd get all of his guy friends to come clean for him. In all honesty, he'd rather some alone time with her than have these guys make snide remarks while rifling through his messy home.

Still, Naruto is grateful.

He hasn't seen these guys in such a long time, and for them to chat and joke around as usual while they help him out – it feels like his first real step back into his normal life. The second step, Naruto knows, is talking to Sasuke, who hangs the laundry out on the balcony.

It's nerve wrecking to go out and talk to him, but when he works up the courage, the first words that leave his mouth are, "Didn't think I'd see the day that you'd help me do laundry."

Sasuke makes a face. "And it'll definitely be the last."

Naruto lets out a low chuckle. "Still, I didn't think Hinata could get you of all people to come over here and help me out."

His eyes narrow for a moment before a sudden realization hits him. "…Ah, you're speaking of Hyūga. She didn't get me to do anything," Sasuke says casually. "I thought to do this on my own." At Teuchi's, Sasuke happened to overhear Hinata telling Shino and Kiba that Naruto had a hard time cleaning his apartment and thought to help out.

When he mentioned it in passing to Sakura, she told Ino, who urged Shikamaru, Choji and Sai to help as well. When Kiba and Shino got word of this, they decided they wanted to help as well. Sasuke wasn't going to tell them they couldn't help out, so they all ended up tagging along.

"That's… really nice of you, Sasuke. I appreciate it," he smiles. "What made you decide you wanted to help out anyway?"

He shrugs. "I figured it was the least I could do."

That was the closest to an apology for their argument a few weeks ago that Naruto is going to get, not that he minds though. That's just how Sasuke is, and always will be.

He woudn't have it any other way.

* * *

Naruto looks at his right arm in awe. He's able to curl and wiggle his fingers. He's able to flex his muscles. It feels so strange to move it now since it's been in one position all this time. It kind of smells though, and the skin looks rather pale compared to the rest of him. He can't wait to go home and get a nice shower.

"This is great isn't it? Your arm is out of its cast now." When Naruto found out when he'd be removing his cast, he'd asked Hinata if she wanted to come with him. The support was much needed.

He gives her a big grin. "I know! I can't wait to start working at Teuchi's now! I'm gonna make the best ramen anyone's ever seen!"

"Naruto-kun, you heard the doctor," Hinata says. "You need to ease into things or else you'll hurt your arm again."

"Oh, right…" he sighs. Looks like getting his life on the track back to normalcy will take a while. But it isn't too bad. "Hey Hinata, thanks again for coming with me. I'm really glad you did."

She smiles. "Oh, there's no need to thank me. I was honored that you asked me to."

But there is a need to thank her – for the rent money, for her smiles, and for her just being by his side. And although he thanks her any chance he gets, it still doesn't feel like it's enough. "Hey," she starts. "I was wondering… to celebrate your cast removal, maybe we can all go out for dinner?"

Naruto's eyes widen. "You mean like a date?" he asks. When Hinata's cheeks turn a vibrant shade of red, Naruto realizes that's probably not what she meant. Soon, he can feel his own face grow warmer.

"I-I meant with everyone else…" she mumbles.

"Shit! I didn't meant to call it a date, I'm so sorry!" he cries. "Yeah! A celebration sounds great, we should do that. I'm real sorry I misheard you, I didn't mean–"

He is cut off by the sound of Hinata's light laughter. She covers her lips with her hands before she looks him straight in the eye. "I um… I wouldn't mind going on a date with you. But I've never been on one so I wouldn't really know what to do."

Her smile is coy, and her eyes are only locked with his for a second longer before she drops her gaze to the floor. He can't seem to suppress the smile on his face as well as the tingly feeling in the pit of his stomach. This is exactly how those dreams of her made him feel.

He secretly pinches himself just to make sure this isn't some cruel joke, and when Naruto feels the small stinging sensation on his skin, his smile broadens.

"It's okay. I've never been on one either," he assures her. "But to be honest, I don't really care what we do."

All he wants to do is be by Hinata's side.


End file.
